Machine for preshaping and applying tapes



y B. M. A. TREBES 1,958598 KACHINE FOR PRESHAPING AND APPLYING TAPES Original Filed Aug. 21, 1930 FGZ FGJ /Nl/ ENTOR '8. M. A. TREBE UNITED STA- Patented May 15, 1934 MACHINE FOR PRESHAPING .AND APPLYING TAPES Bruno M; A. Trebes, Oak Park, lil., mig-nor to Bell Telephone Laboratorles, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Original application August 21, 1930, Serial No.

476,'771. Divided and this application 'August 21, 1931, Serial No. 558,&49. In Great Britain September 23, 1929 1 Claim. (CI. 117-20) In the manufacture of submarine cables in which tape, for exampleretum conductor tape, is laid upon the gutta percha or other insulation, it has been found that the edges of the flat tape do not conform to the insulation. Especially in iaying on tape with a very long lay this leads to dimculties, such as injury to the insulation by the edges of the tape in subsequent manufacturing Operations.

The present invention -relates to a machine whereby the tape is preshaped to flt the insulation with considerable precision. The tape is shaped by running it between a pair of rollers, one of which is concave and the other convex. The concave and convex surfaces abut against each other and the tape passes between them, thua being shaped to conform to the surface of the insulation. These rollers may conveniently be mounted upon the extrusion head and form in themselves a guide for the tape or be used in connection with other guides as may be desired.

A machine of this .type is useful in applying copper tape forming a return conductor of very long lay to a submarine cable core,. but it is of general application in any situation where flat tapes are applied to acable structure with such long lay that they do not, without shaping, conform sumciently well to the surface upon which they are laid. For return conductors it is desirable in a particular instance to apply the tapes without overlapping edges, but obviously the ini vention may be applied to tapes having overlapping edges.

The machine for preshaping and laying the return conductor tapes upon a core comprises a rotatable head, mounted to revolve about the v line of motion of the core when the latter is drawn through the machine-one or more storage reels or spools mounted eccentrically upon said' i rotatabie about the line of motion of the core and having channels conforming to the configuratin 'of the tape and lying substantially in a conical surface. The working elements for preshaping the tape preferably consist of cooperating rollers the surfaces of which are given curvatures about axes perpendicular to the axes of the rollers to conform with the curvature of the surface of the core. Preferably, the head, the means for preshaping the tape, and the guiding means are mounted .upon a common tubular shaft through which the core is drawn and which is rotated by a power drive. The core may be drawn through the machine by means of a capstan or winch.

In addition, a polishing r burnishing device may be located between the guiding means and i the capstan or winch, so that the surface of the tapes will be rendered smooth after the tapes are laid upon the core.

For the better understanding of the invention one embodiment thereof will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which, v

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a machine for preshaping tapes and laying them upon a core;

Fig. 2 is .a diagrammatic view of a pair of rollers which may be utilized for preshaping' the t p r Fig. 3 is a similar view of a modified form of the rollers which is particularly suitable for preshaping heavy tapes with right angled comers;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of part of the structure shown in Fle. 1 illustrating a modification which may be utilized where accurate spacing of the tap-es upon the core is required; and

Fig. 5 is a front view of the guiding means shown in Fig. 1.

Beferring now to Fig. l, a horizontally dispoeed tubula'r shaft 10 is mounted in a journal bear-ing 11 and is provided with a driving pulley 12. 'A circular head 13 is mounted upon the tubular shaft 10 and carries a plurality of brackets 14. The number of brackets 14 is equal to the number of tapebgwhich are to be laid upon the core. The

bracets-*ll carry spools 15 for storlng the tapes.

-A face plate or head 16 is mounted upon the end of the shaft 10 and carries a pluralityof brackets 17.d- In the brackets 1 'I are supported rollers 18 an 19. e

The rollers 18 and 19 may be of the form illustrated in Fig. 2, the curvature of the roller 19 being' equal or approximately equal to the curvature of the surface of the core upon which the tapes are to be laid. The curvature of the concave roller 18 corresponds to that of the roller 19, taking into consideration the thiclrness of the tape. The roller 19 is provided with flanges 20 which embrace the edges of the roller 18. Alternatively, especially where tapes of heavy section withright'angled corners are to be applied to the core, rollers illustrated in Fig. 3 may be utilized. The roller 19 is provided with bevelled ilanges 21 which are emdetermined pitch. A machine of the type illusbrace by flanges 22 upon the roller 18.

Reverting to Fig. 1 the shait loi: provided with an extension ill'which may be in the form o! a split tube. the extension 111- ls mounted aguiding means23; As 'can more plainly be .seen

' in Fiz. 5, guiding means 23 consists o! a conical die-like member having a plurality of channels' 32-32 in its periphery which correspond in sec- `shatt extension 111 and' guiding means 23 a;

l poishing device 24: should be located close to the tion to the section of the'tape after it leaves the rollers 18 and 19. Adjacent to the end oi the polishing or bumishing deviee 24 ismounted upon a pillar 25.' ;if the spacing of the tape: upon the core is 'required .to be very accurate. then the guiding means 23 as showninrig. 4. The polishtape are wound upon the spools 15. The ends oting or burnishingv means 24 consists ot two members 26 and 27; each having a semi-circular groove therein and pressed together by 'springs 28 and nuts'29- screwed upon bolts 30.

In the operation of the machine supplies of the tapes arepassed through guide hoies 31 in the face plate 16 and thereafter between the rollers 18 and 19.7 The tapes are then passed through the channels 32--32 in the guiding means 23 and attached to the core whichis passed through the tubular shaft 10 and extension 111 and through the polishing or burnishing device 24 to a capstan or winch. The core is drawn through the machine by the capstan or winch at a predetermined rate. The head 13; race plate 16- and guicling means 23 are revolved at a predetermined rate in '3 accordance with the desired lay' of the tapes upon the core by applylng adrive to the pulley 12. The

coreis not rotated. g I

It will be seen that as the core is drawn through the machine and tapes are drawn contimously between the rollers 18 and 19 and are thereby shaped to contorn to the conflguration o! the core inthe case oicores jot large diameter. I'm-ther core.

e i mesme.

t rated with suitably proportioned parte may be utilie'd [for preshaping and; laying tapes' upon electricaliyconducting cores; as for example in laying the surrounds upon the central condueting core o! a submarine cable. It may alsmbe used tor laying tapes upon' an insulated core, as' tor exmple in providing a submarine cable with a return conducting path;

. By preshaping the tapes constituting the return conductor o! a submarinecable. dama'ge-to the insulation ot the cable core is avoided, especially more, the eflective mc. resistance of the return oonductor is reduced by causing' it* to lie as close as possible to the coi-e at every point. The machine as described herein' causes the return cond'uctor tapes to conorm to the core with the 05 desired degree of closeness andin 'fact to nt it exactly.

This application is-a division otapplication Serial No. 476,'1'11, died. August 21, 1930.

whatisclaimedisz V A machine tor laying flat tapes with a long lay upon a circular core, said machine having spoolstor carrying tape, said spools'being mounted to revolve about the core,` the machine being characterized in this that shaping mechanism com- .prising a pair of faced ro11ers,`one concave and the other convex, is located betweeneach spool i and the core to shape the tape in conIormity with the surface of the core, said shaping mechanism also comprising appropriate devices to guide the" tape between the adJacent faces oi' 'said rollers, 11o and a guide member tor uniformly spacing the tapes about the core, said guide member being 'located between the'shaping mechanism and the 4 BRUNO me. 5 

